


A Painting

by crystallizedcherry



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Day 6, F/M, PruHun Week, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-17
Updated: 2015-01-17
Packaged: 2018-03-07 22:55:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3186323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystallizedcherry/pseuds/crystallizedcherry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had been a funny little game Gilbert gave for Elizaveta; running around from Google to a museum.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Painting

Hetalia © Hidekazu Himaruya   
_no profit is gained in the making_.

* * *

.

"You left your book on my table."

Eliza could hear Gilbert snickered through the phone, "Didn't you notice the writing on the first page?"

She flipped the cover rather cruelly, crumpling the edge of page he mentioned. "What—"

"Congratulation on finding the clue!" he immediately hung up the calling. Elizaveta stared her phonscreen in disbelief. She tried hard to suppress her madness, grunted and pocketed her phone. Trying to calm herself by drawing fresh air, staring at the only words filling the paper. Sometimes she wondered herself why she agreed to be his girlfriend, to be honest. Even in certain times she was sure that she actually loved him (when he told her that he loved her between their goodbye kisses, maybe; or when she tried to contemplate how many years they had been overcoming together), she still thought that he had a lot of flaws she could not perfectfully accept.

Elizaveta turned to the page again. She didn't have any idea that he actually loved to play a guessing game like this, especially on her.

He was the type who didn't bother himself to think a lot. _He, from all people on the universe, created a trick, then this must be something that would lead to unexpected surprise_ , _damn you, Gil_.

It could be either good or bad.

This was challenging, she admitted, for at the first glance, she could not think any matter related to the first clue given!

Who was John Pettie, for real?

She took back her phone, smug expression could be found on her. One of the most influential hero in twenty first century was Google, how stupid was she not to utilize the engine?

"Found it!"

Elizaveta was proud at first, but her shoulders fell limply after reading the first paragraph.

John Pettie was a Scottish painter living in nineteenth century ... and yes, just that. The online encyclopedia only provided the info that he was so. She carefully scrutinized the excerpt several times, but she still did not get it why Gilbert made this man as the first clue.

Elizaveta called him for the second time. Betting whether she could convince him to give at least another small hint.

"I got it. He was a painter. Then what is the next clue?"

"Go find yourself~" he answered with sing-song tone, adding another annoying laugh.

"It's not fair!"

"Whatever you say, Miss," she didn't understand why his tone became this serious. "Call me later when you have discovered the next hint. Oh, I forgot to tell you that you only have two hours left."

"You set up a deadline?! Stupid, then tell me what is the purpose of this game?! You are so strict yet the hints are so so few!"

"That's the interesting point."

"... I will hit you with my frying pan. I won't stop until I break your nose."

"Yes, you may. Do it as you want, but if you could not uncover the answer, it means you are lost, _kesesese_ ~"

She gulped. Damn, it was hard. Her boyfriend was her rival, the boy she could mock with her winnings and in opposite, could challenge her like this. And if she lost ....

"Okay, okay, let's make an agreement. This is a win-win solution. If I win, you could give me the surprise faster and you will love it to see me happy, right? And I won't be sick of looking for the answer that depends on unclear hints. I will propound some ideas related to the painter, and all you should do just saying yes or no. How?"

There was a long silence stretching and she was getting impatient. She knocked her fingers on the table anxiously.

"Okay. Go for it."

She smirked. She had some in mind already. "Painters from the past are related to museum because where we could find them is at that place only. Is the answer available in museum?"

He gasped and she could hear. Her smirk was getting brighter. The answer was started to be obvious.

"... Yes."

"I should find his paintings in museum around here?"

"... Mm."

"Which painting?"

"Ouw, no, no, no! It will be no fun if I tell you further! You have got the clues now then have a great time—oh, wait, wait! Call me when you could guess the final answer, ja?"

She didnt say anything, and he ended the call too soon too.

However, everything seemed clearer for her.

And Eliza knew where she should go.

Thankfully there was only a museum in the city.

She wasted no time. She ran to the museum and quickly rushed in to the room where they stored John Pettie's works.

* * *

 

It was not that easy, though. There was ... a lot of Pettie's painting inside.

She leaned on the wall opposite to the display, calling him. "I am in the museum already and in front of me is Pettie's work? Which one do you mean?"

"Hm, hm, hm, don't be so hasty, Liz. Enjoy the quest."

"Hurry up," she said coldly, staring at her sneakers. One had its shoelace untied, but she couldn't care enough.

"Go outside, sit on our favorite place and order my favorite menus."

Elizaveta stopped to breath for a moment. She yelled once she could regain her awareness, "After all the things you say, and I almost find the answer, you tell me to go away from the spot?!"

"Chill, baby, it all has connection. Don't forget to memorize numbers you get when you are in the cafe, okay? Have fun!"

She hit the red button on the screen hard. She wanted to slap him right on the face but ... yeah, maybe everything was not that wrong. She hadn't eaten proper meal since morning, honestly. Impatiently, she left the museum as he told.

Thankfully the table number eighteen they usually occupied was empty at the moment. Gilbert commonly take the place with unknown reason, but she also loved it somehow, because the place was exactly beside the window.

When the waitress came, she took a longer time to think. Elizaveta felt that she had never been this obedient to follow everything he commanded if he did it without any acceptable reason.

Gilbert loved sausages. The only recipe involved it here was a dish with six sausages and nine slices of potato. Elizaveta even could even remember the amount of the composition as he was too often ordered the meal. Okay, fine, even though she didn't really like it, she would give it a try.

Whilst waiting for her order, she tried to think about the painting once more. Another clue was ... numbers she could find in the cafe.

First attempt, she related the number with years. Paintings was usually sorted by years, right? And by his telling that numbers played crucial part in the game ....

She snapped her fingers and even released a short laugh.

Table eighteen. Six sausages. Nine slices of potato.

"I have discovered the next part. I should look for Pettie's painting made in 1869, yes?"

"Mmmmnn."

"Just tell me that I win."

"Mmmh, kesese~ okay, okay, yes, you do. But I still have a little pretty closing for you. The painting's title is what I am going to do with you."

Elizaveta could not be more excited. To show her smug face, to put him on shame at the public. Who told him to work her on an easy challenge, hm? _You gotta be the one who is lost, Gil._

* * *

 

As she came back to the room of Pettie's, she was surprised by Gilbert that was actually standing before a work. She hit his arm, yet could not help but laughing. So he had been watching her, huh? And she didn’t even notice it. She had to acknowledge that he was the winner for this fact!

"Alright, now find the real answer," he stepped backward, but not actually left her. He let her to observe each painting, and only smiled when she was frozen at her place in front of the painting he meant to show her.

She turned her head towards him. Gilbert walked closer and offered her a red velvet box. "Something important must be done in impressing way. Marry me, Miss Hedérvary?"

She took the box without giving him any chance to open and give the thing inside for her or even kneel before her to present the best gift a girlfriend could have. Eliza abruptly embraced him tight, with lips kissed his earlobe both with her warm breath and words, "Of course, Gil. Of course."

 

_John Pettie - The Proposal, 1869_


End file.
